updated 02:23 pm EDT, Mon June 10, 2013

Dev release available today, shipping to public in fall

At today's WWDC keynote, Apple today announced OS X Mavericks, the next version of its Mac operating system. The software makes a number of incremental feature improvements, such as adding tags and tabs to Finder; users can copy items between tabs by dragging them around. A feature called iCloud Keychain can sync logins, credit card numbers, and Wi-Fi networks; for many notifications people can now reply directly, including email and FaceTime messages. Other notification enhancements include a new Safari type, background app updates, and the ability to see a full set of missed notifications at the lockscreen.

A variety of technical improvements are also present, such as features targeting battery life like App Nap power/CPU management and timer coalescing. Compressed memory makes memory management more efficient, resulting in an overall faster operating system. When using multiple monitors, menus and the dock can now span multiple screens, and users can output to a TV or even an Apple TV as a fullscreen display. Content can be dragged between fullscreen apps.

Maps and iBooks apps have migrated to Mavericks from iOS. The Maps app includes a new send-to-iPhone command, and has a developer SDK which will allow Mac developers to integrate Apple map data into their software. The existing Calendar app has been upgrade to support continuous scrolling -- ditching skeuomorphism -- and is aware of data like travel time and weather. When setting up an event, the app can offer location suggestions, directions, and travel time.

A new Safari shares in some of the technical improvements of the OS -- such as better memory and CPU use, and should be quicker in general. New Top Sites, Readling List, and shared sites views have been incorporated.

The developer version of Mavericks is now available. Apple says that a finished public release is due sometime in the fall.

Flying Meat: it's not surfing-related names, it's California place names. Mavericks and its surf culture just happens to be the first. We might get Big Sur or Cupertino or Catalina in future, as potential examples.